Enough With The Rain

Until recently, the fall was shaping up nicely for most farmers on the Northern Plains. The frost-free September gave crops more time to develop, and a few solid rains helped to recharge soil moisture without interfering too much with harvest.

But too much of anything, even moisture, isn’t a good thing. Farmers and ranchers in the western Dakotas, in particular, are suffering. They’re still digging out, of course, from that wicked early-October blizzard. Many producers elsewhere in the region are concerned, too. I talked this morning with a Red River Valley crop insurance agent who’s worried about the impact that repeated rains are having on the sugar beet and soybean harvest in his area.

Enough with the rain. What we need now is a long stretch of dry weather. It’s time to bring in the rest of our crops.

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ABOUT

My name is Jonathan Knutson.

I'm a North Dakota farm kid who has spent my career reporting on agriculture and business. I'm a member of North American Agricultural Journalists and currently lead our Midwest region, our biggest in terms of membership.
The photo of the "KNUTSON RD" sign was taken on my family farm. Like me, the sign has been around many years. And like me, the sign, though worn at the edges, is still hanging in there.